Cradle for hydraulic pipe lines



Oct. 2 192 7 E. SCHAUB I CRADLE FOR HYDRAULIC PIPE LINES Filed March 15, 1924 Patented Oct. 25, 1927.

UNITED STATES EUGENE SCHAUB, OF LOGAN, UTAH.

v CRADLE FOR HYDRAULIC PIPE LINES.

Application filed March 15, 1924. Serial No. 699,596.

This invention is a cradle for pipe lines of relatively large carrying diameter, the same being adapted, more particularly, for carrying hydraulic pipe by which water is conducted from a source of supply to a plant wherein the water is utilized for power and other purposes.

Hydraulic pipe lines are composed usually of wooden pipe, of large diameter, resting usually upon a timber support, but experience shows that owing to the leakage of water and exposure to the weather the timher support deteriorates, with consequent sagging of the pipe line necessitating repairs and involving expense in maintenance.

The present invention substitutes a metal cradle for the timber support with a view to attaining economy in the maintenance of the supporting means for the pipe line. The metal cradle is a permanent installation erected upon a concrete base and attached with facility to sleepers or timbers positioned'intermediate the concrete and-metal parts of the pipe carrying elements of the structure.

A salient feature of the invention is a metal cradle composed of complemental members adapted to be positioned separately upon the sleepers or timbers, and to be fastened fixedly by appropriate means, said separately assembled members being useful, more particularly, in conjunction with that part of the pipe which curves or is deflected from a straight line, whereby a number of members may be positioned at the side of the pipe line, the latter jacked or forced into seating engagement with the cradle members, and the other complemen tal members then positioned into contact with the other side of the pipe line so as to assemble the parts with facility and produce a structure affording the desired sta bility and which is durable in use and economical of maintenance.

Other functions and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings, wherein I Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the cradle for a hydraulic pipe line, the latter being shown in cross section.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the structureshown in Figure 1. 1

A is a foundation, the lower part a of which is buried in the ground, whereas the upper part a is above the ground line. said upper part a being of reduced cross section as compared with the lower part. Said upper part is cut away at the ends thereof as at b and is beveled at the side edges, 6, whereas at the middle said upper part a is provided with a transverse channel 5 whereby drainage is afforded for water in order to carry away the water from a superposed sleeper or timber B. Said timber or sleeper rests upon the top edge of the upper base member a, and it is anchored fixedly thereto by the sectional anchor rods C shown more particularly in Figure 1 at the right thereof. A lower length 0 of said anchor is embedded in the concrete material of the base, the upper part of said length a protruding into the cut away portion 6 of the base. A sleeve 0' envelops the upper part of the rod length a where the latter emerges from the base. A second length d of the anchor passes through the sleeper B, the lower end being threaded, and the two lengths c, d, being in coaxial relation so that a female threaded coupling sleeve D may be screwed upon the adjacent ends of the rods 0, 03, thus providing means for anchoring the timber with facility upon the base. It will be understood that two or more of the anchors C D are used for fixedly attaching the sleeper B to the base, one of. said anchors being used near each end of the timber. For retaining the sleeper from endwise displacement upon the base, I may employ a desired number of retainers e, the latter being embedded in the base member a and in the sleeper at the underside thereof, as shown. by dotted lines in Figure 1. The anchors G hold the sleeper firmly clamped upon the base, whereas the retainers e overcome any tendency of the sleeper to become displaced endwise upon said base.

E F are the complemental members of a metal cradle for supporting a pipe line G. Each member of said cradle is composed of metal, cast or pressed in a single piece, and

skeletonized for reducing the weight and minimizing the metal required, all without sacrificing strength. As shown, each member is composed of an arcuate seat I", a straight. bottom 9, an upright h, and a series of webs z'which join the arcuate seat f with the bottom or the upright.

Each member is so formed that it embodies a narrow inner end and a higher outer end, and the two members E F comprising a single or unitary cradle are assembled to rest upon the sleeper with the narrow inner ends below the vertical central portion of the superposed pipe G, the latter resting snugly upon the curved seats 7 of said members. The bottoms g of the'complemental members E F rest flat upon the sleeper, and are fas tened rigidly in position by lag screws 7 which pass through bolt holes provided in the bottoms g and are embedded in the sleeper, as shown. The narrow inner end portions of the cradle members are not 1n abutting contact with each other, but are relatively separated to produce a space is which provides for the drainage of water from the pipe line toward the other drainage space b in the foundation.

It is desirable to couple the inner adjacent end portions of the complemental cradle members, and to this end I provide a coupling bolt m, or equivalent means, said coupling passing through the narrow end portions of the members and operating to retain the same from relative displacement under the weight of the pipe line and its load, thus relieving the lag-screws from undue strain.

As is usual in the art, the pipe line G is composed of a metallic shell or of wooden staves hooped or banded, such line G being of any diameter. The pipe rests firmly upon the curved seats 7 of the cradle members, but it may be desirable to anchor it in position' upon the cradle, for which purpose I provide the yoke 11., the ends of which are attached in a desired way to the upper end portions of the cradle members.

The cradle affords a stable support for the large pipe, so that it becomes necessary to employ the yoke 'n, in remote cases only, hence I ma dispense with the yokes, or only use said yo es in certain parts of the installation.

The cradle for the pipe is installed at desirable intervals in the length of said pipe. The foundation is placed in or upon the ground by molding the concrete in situ, or by embedding a molded block in the ground, with t-he upper member a protruding for a desirable distance above the ground line. The sleepers for the foundations are laid upon the protruding members a and anchored fixedly thereto by the anchors C, the latter being manipulated for leveling the sleepers upon the beds A, and a desired range of flexibility being attained by the flexible sleeves c and the adjustments afforded by the couplings D. The sectional cradles are placed upon the sleepers, resting firmly thereon, and fastened in position by the lag screws and by the couplings, the latter acting to draw the cradle members nto the required relation to the superposed pipe. The two-part construction of the cradle is useful particularly in connection with a curved part of the pipe line, or with that part thereof which is deflected from a straight line. At such deflected art of the pipe, the members of certain cradles are positioned upon the corresponding sleepers for contact with one side of the pipe, whereupon the pipe is jacked over or forcibly pressed by applying pressure to the other side of the pipe so as to force the pipe into the seats f on the installed cradle members, and thereupon the other members of the two-part cradles are positioned upon the sleepers, drawn into place by the couplings, and fastened by the lag screws, thus completing the installation of the cradles.

As stated, the cradles support the weight of the pipe and the curved seats f of said cradles sustain the pressure of the pipe line, particularly when the water is first admitted thereto. Upon the admission of the water, the stresses on the pipe gradually increase as the pipe fills with water and become maximum under low head conditions and are slightly diminished as the hydraulic grade line rises above the pipe, such stresses are taken up by the curved seats of the cradle during the filling of the pipe, but when the pipe is filled with water, the strain thereon is distributed equally in all directions, so that the pipe line and the cradles carry only the weight of the water.

Although I have shown and described the cradle as composed of two complemental members, it is apparent that it may be desirable to increase the number of parts, complements of one. another, and installed separately or collectively. Again, the structure may be used for conveying steam or hot water in which case provlsion is made for insulating the pipe line, and in such case, it is desirable to provide a coating for the arcuate faces of the seating surfaces of the cradle members. Other changes in the form and details of construction readily suggested by a skilled constructor may be embodied in the cradle construction.

I may wholly dispense with the concrete foundation because of its tendency to de teriorate, and in lieu of the wooden sleeper I may use any medium upon which to 1mpose the cradle. Again, I may use either wood or metal for carrying the cradle.

Having thus fully'described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. A pipe line structure of the class described, including a foundation, a. cradle composed of complemental members each having an arcuate seat, means for fixedly mounting said cradle upon the foundation, and means for coupling said members at the contiguous end portions thereof.

2. A pipe line structure of the class de scribed, including a foundation, a sleeper no I ing a pipe-line, means for fastening the parts of said cradle to each other, and means forfastening said cradle to said sleeper.

4. A pipe line ,structure of the class described, embodying a foundation, a sleeper, means for adjustably anchoring said sleeper upon the foundation, and acradle including a plurality of members separately attached fixedly to the sleeper.

5. A pipe line structure of the class described, embodying a foundation, a sleeper imposed thereon with provision for the drainage of Water from the sleeper and the foundation, and a cradle imposed upon the sleeper, said cradle including a plurality of complemental members separately attached fixedly to the sleeper.

6. A pipe line structure of the class described, embodying a foundation, a sleeper imposed upon the foundation and anchored thereto, and a cradle resting upon the sleeper, said cradle including a plurality of complemental members each having an arcuate seat and separately attached to the sleeper.

7. A pipe-line structure of the class described embodying a sleeper, a multi-part cradle imposed on said sleeper, the parts of said cradle having arcuate seats adapted to circumferentiallyembrace a pipe-line, means for attaching the cradle parts to each other, and means for fastening the cradle-partsto the sleeper.

8. A pipe line structure of the class described, embodying a sleeper, a cradle composed of a plurality of complemental members imposed upon the sleeper, said members being provided with arcuate seats for a pipe, means independent of the sleeper for coupling said members, and means for fixedly and separately fastening the cradle members to the sleeper.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name hereto this 12th day of March, 1924.

EUGENE SCHAU B. 

